Shakira is ready to dip her toes back into the dating pool following her split from ex Gerard Piqué.
“Shakira is doing better than she has in years, she is acting like a new woman,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly. “Friends are so excited to see her back to her former self — in work and with friends.”
The insider notes that while Shakira “isn’t ready for a relationship,” the singer “is very open to some casual dating.”
“Shakira has a new light around her that she hasn’t had since before Piqué,” the source explains to Us, adding Shakira has been focusing on self-care through “meditation, yoga and spending time with her friends.”
Piqué, 37, and Shakira, 47, began dating in 2011 and expanded their family with sons Milan, 11, and Sasha, 9. The exes ultimately called it quits in June 2022 after reports circulated that Shakira caught the soccer player having an affair.
One month after their breakup, Piqué moved on with girlfriend Clara Chia Marti. He made things Instagram official with Chia Marti in January 2023 shortly after Shakira dropped her collaboration with Argentinian DJ Bizarrap that seemingly shaded the couple.
In November 2022, Us confirmed that Shakira and Piqué signed a custody agreement for their children. The musician ultimately moved from Barcelona to Miami with her boys to start fresh.
While Shakira has primarily focused on releasing new music, she’s had time to date. The Grammy winner was most recently linked to Miami Heat player Jimmy Butler. The pair were spotted out and about in July 2023. A second source told Us in September 2023 that while things were progressing for the duo, Shakira wasn’t in a rush to jump into another relationship.
“Shakira has a lot on her plate,” the insider said. “Her main priority is her kids and career. But she’s definitely optimistic about finding love again.”
Earlier this month, Shakira opened up about how she prioritized her and Piqué’s family over her own goals to accommodate his career. (Piqué retired from FC Barcelona in November 2022.)
“For a long time I put my career on hold, to be next to Gerard, so he could play football,” she told The Sunday Times. “There was a lot of sacrifice for love.”
Now, Shakira is gearing up to release her 12th studio album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, which drops later this month. Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, which translates to “women don’t cry anymore,” will allude to Shakira and Piqué’s split.
With reporting by Travis Cronin